March 2005
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April 4, 2005 Dear Family and Friends, Well, confrontational ministry scored again last month despite how culturally insensitive it appears to be and perhaps is! (Actually it scores all the time, but last month I was blessed to actually see it happen.) Again it takes suffering a little abuse, but sure enough, people keep leaving the LDS Church and are getting saved. At the beginning of the month, I was standing on the corner of South Temple and State Street, and some girl threw a big roll of toilet paper at me. (I took it as a gift from God, so I took it home to use.) I also got the usual fingers and people yelling all sorts of profound things at me. But then about a week or two later, Joan came by at that same corner, repented from all her sin, and gave her life to Christ. Joan took my tract, and asked me what religion I was. I told her that I was a born-again Christian. She told me that she was a life-long LDS, but felt like she was missing something. She told me how she was getting tired of the LDS guilt trip if she didn't tithe. While I was witnessing to her, a Christian lady came by and we both witnessed to Joan. She didn't know what she would tell God if He were to ask her why He should let her into His presence. So I shared the gospel with her, and led her in a prayer to receive Christ. She readily prayed to Jesus (LDS only pray to the Father) to ask for His forgiveness. She told Him that she turns from Mormonism, Joseph Smith, and anything else that would keep her from simply trusting Christ for her salvation. Afterwards, Joan told us how much better she felt. I explained that this was because Christ had been knocking on her heart's door, and she finally answered it and let Him into her life (Revelation 3:20). Joan told me that this was strange, since her bishop had claimed that Christ doesn't come knocking on our door; we need to come after Him. The Christian lady who came by prayed for Joan and her new faith. I then got her mailing address, and recommended a good Christian church near where she lives. Also last month, I got to speak to around 70 students from 5 different Christian colleges around the country that came out for a mission over their spring break. It was specifically to encourage the group to trust God, take their lumps for continuing to preach, and to look forward to seeing (either here or in heaven) all the people who will convert. Afterwards I was told that an LDS girl happened to be there, and that she walked out after I read a testimony of a former LDS guy (specifically when I read that this guy found Howard Stern more enlightening than the Book of Mormon). Some friends of hers from one of the schools invited her there. I was told by one of her friends that they followed her out, and were upset at me for reading that testimony even though I had no idea an LDS girl was there! This Christian friend thought it was hypocritical of me to say things to one group that I wouldn't say to another group. Nonetheless, what I said was truth, and I told this Christian that Jesus told His disciples to leave those Pharisees alone who were offended by His statements (Matthew 15:12-14). My director Russ East said that he had no idea this LDS girl was going to be there, but he said that this was something we should leave with the sovereignty of God. Russ also said that this girl has been hanging out with Utah Partnerships for Christ for quite awhile now, and that it was about time that she had it told to her straight up. Later I heard that she was still hanging around the group, so please pray for her. Afterwards we all went to visit a couple different LDS wards for the afternoon. At an LDS single's ward at Weber State I got into a conversation with 2 LDS guys over why the LDS Church serves water rather than wine or grape juice (at least something that looks more like blood). I just wanted a specific passage, but it turned into much more. They tried using the Word of Wisdom passage, but that doesn't say anything about using water. Then they tried using D&C 27 where God supposedly commands that wine isn't to be used any more in the sacrament, but this still doesn't command that water should be used. At this point they got defensive and began claiming that if you accept Joseph Smith as a prophet, then you know that the LDS Church is true. Thus, if this is the way they do it, then it must be true! They started telling me that I just need to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. When I told them that I had already done that, then the conversation went to examining how I felt (therapy). I told them that I felt angry feelings much like a father yells at his kid to stop playing in the busy street. They told me that this couldn't be from God, and that I hadn't prayed sincerely enough, since God only gives good feelings! It had to be true no matter how I felt (if that's the case, why all the bother about the way I feel?). They became even more bothered when I read 2 Thessalonians 2:11: "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." Then I asked them how do they know that God didn't make them delusional. They were quite troubled and quickly had to go to the sacrament meeting. Thank you for every prayer said on my behalf, and for every check written on my behalf. Love,
R.M.S. |
Joan with Rob
Rob with part of the group of 70 in
Temple Square security taking a picture of Rob
Rob speaking to the different college teams
Glenn Hendrickson advertising to freeway traffic at the San Diego Temple
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****PRAYER LIST****
"Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2).
- For more salvations
- For those that are coming out of the LDS Church and/or those who have recently committed themselves to the real Christ
- For God to move more people to do street ministry downtown
- For Utah churches and individual Christians to support each other's various ministries
- For financial provision
- For the ability to get my rough draft comprehensive done soon
- For God to use my web site
- For love, protection, and wisdom as I minister
- For my new relationship with UPFC
****MAILBAG****
...i know i asked god the eternal father in the name of jesus christ is joseph smith a prophet and is the book of mormon another testament of jesus christ and it was confirmed to me by the holy ghost. Why would god allow his children to ask in prayer in the name of christ if something was true or not and allow a false witness or confirmation? God still works through phrophets and still performs miracles and angels are working with righteous men! I bet you havent prayed for an answer and if you have i bet you didnt do it with a sincere heart! I dont know what the lds church has done to offend you but there are many more churches out there doing alot more bad and religons. If youve got a website on us and how bad we are (we only say we are the only true church because we are!) But hold on there are other religons that also say that all around the world! e.g muslims with all the terroism going on in the name of allah! Where is your website on that. You are just someone with too much time and nothing better to do than bring a peaceful faith down which we are!!
I know why dont you pray tonight and ask god the eternal father in the name of jesus christ if what you are doing is right and good? You know you are wrong and what you are doing is wrong and i dont think you will go to hell? I think you will have a chance to repent? But who are you to tell me and my loved ones who i cherish and family are all going to hell you have a serious problem mate and you will recongnise it one day! Jesus is who we all strive to be like YES, well do not tell me because i worship jesus christ the same one as you that i will go to hell for it! the way you see christ, loving peacful, merciful, is the way i see him! So we are not that diffrent are we! I can use scriptures all day long and so can you and so can any one evil or good but i bear tetimony of truth! Just look up the articles of faith and that is who we are and what we believe!
NO lds will ever take you serious! Let me give you a clue pray about our church ask if it is true or not! And if you do not get an answer then you have every right to do what you do! But you must ask in faith and believing! LET ME SAY THIS AS CLEARLY AS MY TONGUE WILL PERMIT, WE LOVE JESUS CHRIST AND I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM HE IS MY WHOLE LIFE AND I WILL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR HIM ALWAYS!!!THIS IS NOT A BAD THING BUT YOU SEE THAT IT IS! PLESAE Rob you know already that christ does not want you to do what you are doing you must know it in your heart, we have all been born with the light of christ to know what is right and wrong so look into your heart instead of leaning on the knowledge of man but ask god himself!
[I responded:] If you[']d ...be... open minded enough to read the FAQ on the Book of Mormon, then you[']d... see... that I have already read through all the LDS scriptures and I prayed to ask God if they were true. God told me they weren't, and that I should warn everyone about impending judgment and hell. I asked with real intent, and I got my answer confirmed by the Holy Ghost. So yes, I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do in reaching out to LDS, and God is blessing it since I've been seeing many LDS come out and become genuine Christians who follow the God and Christ of the Bible.
You asked why God would allow a false witness or confirmation for those who ask in the name of Christ. God will allow this when you are more addicted to your feelings than you are to Himself and His word. That is why 2 Thes. 2:11 says that God sends a strong delusion that they should believe a lie. And if you've gone through the temple, then this shouldn't surprise you since remember who answers Adam when he cries, "Oh God, hear the words of my mouth!"? You've been answered by Satan, since you won't listen to what God has already clearly said, viz., that He's always been God and He didn't have to grow up to become a God (Ps. 90:2) by serving some other God before Him or by getting a wife and going through some temple ceremony. That's blasphemous! But you don't care, because again you're more in love with your feelings, your family, your church, your friends, etc. than you are with God and His word.
You've also got a false Jesus who is not this God that has always been God. Your Jesus wasn't big enough to create everything (btw, neither was your weak and imaginary heavenly father), since He didn't create Lucifer, our spirits, the planet He was born on as a spirit child, His spirit grandfather's planet, matter, intelligence, etc. That's how weak your Jesus is. But the Jesus of the Bible is the one by whom everything in heaven and earth exists (Jn. 1:1-3, 14 & Col. 1:15-18). And this Jesus said to beware, since in the last days many false Christs and prophets will arise to deceive many (Mt. 24:24). But again, you don't care because you prefer darkness rather than light.
BTW, check out my buddy's web site: MuhammadLied. He got the idea from my other buddy's site: JosephLied.com. Repent before it's too late,
[He responded:] Rob i know that you are a good man and i know you are trying to do the right thing but this, what you are doing is wrong and there must be something inside you that tells you this. The reason why im trying to let you know that it is wrong because i believe you are my brother and that i have some sort of a responsibilty as your brother to warn you of what road you are walking down and this is a road of regret and sorrow my friend. Rob, from the facts of yourself in which you have told me and in which i have learnt myself, which are the facts that you have read The Book of Mormon and the Bible and the Docrrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price and even studied them in deepness and pondered them in your heart and mind and have prayed with a sincere heart with real intent knowing you will recieve an answer and having faith in Christ and yet claim to have god himself tell you to try and reach the mormons and destroy another faith.
PLEASE repent and try again and give the Book of Mormon another chance and pray about it again. The voice you heard was not our father in heaven, for he would not tell you to go out and stop a peaceful faith! Let me say this as clearly and as soberly as the English tongue will permitt me to say that if you do not these things and persist in trying to destroy the one and only true church upon the face of the earth, in which you cannot prevail against, then you are from the time this email is read, accountable for everything you do which is against The church of Jesus Christ. In that day of judgement when my lord and saviour Jesus Christ will stand before you and ask you why you did what you did then will i appear and will stand as a witness that i warned and forewarned you that what you were doing was wrong.
Oh my brother please listen to your own spirit and heart that one day you may realise and come into the fold. That your saviour has given you all these signs and chances to hear his true gospel, please do not cast a side these precious moments of mortality. May God be with you and bless you as you seek to find more of the truth.
[I responded:] In the same way that you are trying to warn me, I am also trying to warn you. I ask you to sincerely read over my site very carefully, and pray to God to reveal the truth to you. The voice you hear telling you that Mormonism is true is from the devil. "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44), and you must repent of following a false prophet and a false god and Jesus before it's too late. I tell you this because I love you and don't want you to go to hell. And I say these things to you in the name of the real Jesus Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit. Amen!
You are being deceived by Lucifer. Open your eyes & hearts to the truth. Lucifer will close your eyes to the truth. You can believe that The Church of Latter Days Saints is not true and does not have the authority, but it does. Just because you do not believe, does not change the fact that it is true and the only one that does have the authority and knowledge that no other church on earth. Wake up!
[From a lady who got my e-mail and figured I was LDS:] Ha, now you have me laughing, I guess I should have a little of your website before opening my mouth. Your mission is converting Mormons to Christianity - you must be one popular guy there in Utah.
I am a Christian, however, I do not believe I would classify myself as a "born-again". I was born, raised and baptized a Christian, never felt as though I needed the title "born-again", in fact I'm not really sure what one means by "born again".
You know it has been my experience that when someone stray's from God and they return, they refer to themselves as "born again", they become almost "overly" religious. Now you are probably saying to yourself, what does she mean by "overly religious", exactly has does one go about being "overly religious". My observation only, they try too hard to prove/show others how much they believe in and love God, they try to convert and often forget that when you believe life can be and is a very calming experience. I believe all Christians are missionary's in one way or another.
You certainly have a dynamic web site. I enjoyed exploring MormonInfo, found The Differences between Mormonism and Christianity interesting. I printed a copy of the "Seven Differences between Mormonism and Christianity" to read this weekend, let you know what I think about it next week.
I checked out your site Photo Gallery, looks like you have been everywhere even here in my area "Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach". ...Well, think I will pick up my copy of The Seven Differences between Mormonism and Christianity from the printer and be off. Cheerio!
[I responded:] Please read... "Being a Testimony". I wrote something up there of what it means to be born-again. Whatever it means it's important to know that you are one, since Jesus and His apostles taught that without being one, you can't see heaven (John 3:3-18 and 1 Peter 1:23). Basically, it means you get a whole new life by trusting in Christ and repenting from all your sin. ...Thanks for bumping around my site. I hope you can get a lot out of it.
We met you on our family vacation almost 2 years ago when we came through on our way to Southern Utah. We want you to know how much we appreciate reading your newsletter updates, and we find it encouraging that you continue in your ministry to Mormons (and those being pulled by Mormonism). Talking with you and standing on the street corner with you in front of Temple Square had an affect on all of us - although we saw a little of the verbal abuse shouted and some reaction, we were delighted by the softness of God's heart drawing people by loving-kindness. Recently we had some LDS missionaries come to our home in Seattle. When they asked if we had any questions for them, we explained that we're familiar with the Book of Mormon and LDS teaching, and did have significant problems with it. After highlighting some differences, we asked boldly if they had any questions for us. (Unfortunately, they did not.) We pray God will bless you as you continue, and while we cannot dedicate any big monetary gift to you, we ask that God will multiply what you receive and that you will be amazed by His provision. God bless you now and always.
Why do you feel the need to crush or tear apart something that you know nothing about? You were never LDS you just came to Utah and found it interesting to argue with Mormons trying to convert them? Are you bored, or just desperate for members? If your church had any truth in it, you would be able to stand on that truth. There would be no need to bash mormons or ANY OTHER church just to gain members. People would convert on their own or with your help. Have you really gained members because you bashed the mormon religion?
There are people who do appreciate the "facts" and enjoy hearing good research on religion. But to stand on a street corner with a sign that states "Joseph Smith Lied", honestly do you have nothing better to do? Luckily we are not at the point where people hold signs in front of your church saying "Jesus Christ Lied". But unfortunately I feel that time is soon coming.
How about finding ways to help your own church grow without throwing down others, that would include every religion in the world! People are entitled to believe what they want to believe, let them. Can you not be satisfied that they find comfort in something? I am not saying that you cannot speak to people or attempt to convert them. I am simply asking why do you do it the way you do? Why do you rip down another for your own gain? That right there shows me I would never want to be apart of your organization, because I never want to point the finger at someone and say "YOU'RE WRONG!, I'M RIGHT!" Because what kind of person would that make me? I just don't get it why do people do it? Why not just spit on them, flip them off and stick our %$^* against the passenger window? Maybe that would be more effective?
What a waste! I feel sorry for you, sorry that you have dedicated a good portion of your life to something that is not yours. Think of how many things your church missed out on because you were wasting so much time on the mormon church.
[I responded:] I thought I answered these questions sufficiently in my Ministry section on the FAQ page. Please read those over, and then we can talk about any specific questions you'd like. You also need to make a case that I know "nothing" about Mormonism before I'll treat your assumption seriously. I love LDS and want to see them come to the truth. I also love other people and don't want to see them get involved in a cult that will lead them to hell.
It's funny that you should send this to me today, since I was just able today to lead a life-long LDS lady (in her 50's) to renounce Mormonism and Joseph Smith, and to commit her eternal life to *simply* the Lord Jesus. Plus, I get all sorts of e-mails from people who read the web sites (the other is www.JosephLied.com, btw), and end up leaving the cult of Mormonism and committing themselves simply to Christ. They make what I do totally worthwhile. I pray the same for you... that God would also give you eyes to see and ears to hear His Truth! You're worth it too. Thanks for attacking my ministry and me! I must be quite a bother for you. Love,
It seems like God continues to use you in a powerful way. ...I came on a trip there a few years ago... I am now pastoring a college ministry..., and I was wondering if we could do a trip. I am thinking probably twenty to twenty five students in all. What does the first week of August look like for you? Thanks for your help. God bless.
Read the bible. The whole Bible, not just your favorite three versus. You are wasting you time and are lost.
I found your website looking for Ravi Zacharias. Thank you for the interesting article about his time in Utah which lead me to puruse your website further. My thanks and prayers are with you as you lovingly keep clear, for those of us who count on the clarity, the distinctions between Christianity and "good" imitations which ultimately mislead. God be with you,
It's funny how you pass out your pamphlets and preach doctorate you have no clue about. Why is it that churches such as yours believe that you will be saved on no effort of your own, but just through baptism alone? You should only wish to be as pure as LDS members. How is it that Jesus had to walk in a human beings shoes and face all temptations and prove that it is possible to be perfect and than atone for our sins, but he didn't have a wife nor children? Why is family so important to have? Some things are beyond the capacity of churches such as yours to comprehend. Only those who are baptized by water and fire have the capability of talking to god through his son Jesus Christ and are blessed with the companionship of the holy gost. It should be a sin to be so angry that you pass out pamphlets with false doctrine.
[I responded:] Did you receive the tract, "The Seven Differences between Mormonism and Christianity"? If so, then please address it, and stop assuming what my churches believe about how one is saved. I never said anything about us believing we are saved through baptism alone. We believe that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works, even though works naturally follow from it (Romans 4:5, 11:6, Ephesians 2:8-10).
You sound pretty angry yourself. So angry that you had to write me to give me your 2 cents worth. Well if you can try setting me straight, then I can also try setting the LDS straight.
Repent before it's too late; you're in a cult that promoting a false god who didn't create everything (you're god didn't even create matter or his spirit father's planet). Your god is an imaginary joke, and Satan is using it to keep your attention off the true Creator of literally everything outside Himself. Love,
Thanks for the update -- I'll be sure to keep track of your ministry changes in order to help out. It's nice that Parousia is helping you get going with your other source, UPFC.
I was reading the "nature" piece in your newsletter and just wanted to add some thoughts. In addition to contradicting Smith's OWN claims that we only have one nature, as you pointed out ("You have got to learn how to BECOME gods"), I think it's blasphemy to claim to have BOTH a human and a divine nature. ONLY Christ has both a divine and human nature and there was a specific reason for Him to take on that human nature: To shed His blood and redeem us from the penalty of sin. The only reason Mormons want to take on a divine nature ("become gods") is so that they themselves can attain ultimate happiness in the celestial kingdom -- a completely selfish motive, whereas Christ's motive was completely SELF-LESS! To think that someday we will be able to put our fingers into the holes where the nails once were, as Thomas did, really makes me want to cry! It's the most amazing story of love, how God would do something like that for creatures such as we are. To claim to have, or to someday have, a divine nature is a huge insult to what Christ did for us in taking on a human nature. Keep up the fight, Rob. Love in Christ,
[I responded:] It's a good point! Christ, because He was eternally God and thus had a divine nature, could do the miraculous and take on an additional nature so that He could humble Himself and die for us. LDS think the blasphemous as well as the selfish, viz., that God would be able to miraculously create another like Himself to receive exclusive worship from [one's] own spirit kids. But the LDS God isn't our God, in which it is *logically impossible* for Him to "create" an "uncreated" and "eternal" God who is the originator of everything outside Himself.